20A – Growing Your Social Capital

Domain Expert

The Domain expert I chose is a friend of my dads named Alex. He works for Lollicup, a company that produces reusable straws and eco-friendly food packaging. I chose him as the domain expert because he works directly for a company in this field. I found him by asking my parents if they knew anybody in the industry and I was surprised to find out my dad did. He gave me Alex's email and I emailed him explaining this course, my concept/the assignment. It was a casual and friendly exchange, he told me the company is always looking for more ways to incorporate sustainability into people's everyday lives. Since he was a friend of my dad's there isn't really a return expectation because he saw it as just helping a friend. Alex will enhance my ability to exploit this opportunity because I could potentially work with him or others at the company to help further my idea.

Market Expert

The market expert I chose is the manager at my local coffee shop at home. This is a stand-alone business and he has worked there for multiple years. He fills this spot because he interacts with the consumers who are impacted by the plastic ban on a daily basis and he relays to the owner what works and does not work with the new ban. I have been a frequent customer at this coffee shop for as long as I can remember so to find and contact them was very easy, all I had to do was look up the phone number.

The nature of the exchange was very casual since there are few employees who work there and they all have worked there for years. The favor they did was explaining how the shop reacted to the ban and what they've tried (only giving the customer the cup and drink with an array of options for them to choose from). There really is no return expectation since I have been a customer for years and they know me well there. Having this manager in my network will help with exploiting this opportunity because he is a major factor in this issue and is the one who would enable customers to use my product.

Supplier

The supplier I chose was someone my aunt knew named Jared. Jared works for ExxonMobile which is a major plastic producer. He fits as the supplier because he works with directly selling plastic to the companies who produce straws and other plasticware. I found him through my aunt and contacted him via email. We had an informal exchange where I explained who I was and how I got his email as well as what the concept is. The favor he gave was responding to questions regarding the plastic industry, how they function as a supplier, and if they have seen a hard hit from the plastic bans. Jared in my network will allow me to have insights on challenges I may face with suppliers, and how to react with the bans in the industry. 

This experience will shape how I participate in future networking events because I learned how to reach out to complete strangers who could give me support and advice along the way. I feel like I haven't really had much formal network experience in the past so I think this experience was somewhat new but valuable.

19A – Idea Napkin No. 2

1) You. 

• I am a 20-year-old junior info systems major at UF, and I am pursuing a minor in entrepreneurship. My skills and experiences include organization, customer service, persistence, and problem-solving. I've had first-hand experience of customer service from working in retail for 3 years, and I have a fair understanding of marketing and branding through a marketing internship I held.
• My aspirations for my business concept is to lead a business that promotes sustainability and the consumer. I want to find a way to incorporate information systems into the overall process. I can see myself being reflected in the business through my own footprint on the environment, and I can see the business help consumers share that same impact. 

2) What are you offering to customers?

• I am offering a replacement for single-use plastic that shares the physical characteristics of plastic, as well as the durability of single-use plastic products. There are 2 products, a single-use straw, and a single-use bag.

3) Who are you offering it to? 

• The customers I am offering this product to are the everyday consumers and small businesses who are being impacted by new laws banning plastic, or will soon be impacted. These are the iced coffee drinkers like me who hate paper straws, the moms who have had their paper grocery bags rip on them while trying to get everything inside, and the businesses who have been scrambling to find an affordable replacement for their customers that is satisfactory to them. These customers all have in common their dependency on durable products that tend to be single-use plastics and their new forming need for a replacement that they won't need to remember to bring or have fall apart in seconds.

4) Why do they care? 

• Customers will want to use this service because it fills a void that they are currently or will soon be facing. The small businesses that need a replacement to plastic products and want to keep their customers satisfied, with as little change as possible will use this concept to keep business running as usual. Some customers may just be fed up with paper products, or want to do more for the environment and will be attracted to this product. The customers who are aware of the current environmental impact single-use plastic has had will want to take part in a change that will require minimal effort from themselves as not everybody can remember to bring reusable bags or afford reusable straws that were made in a sustainable way. Customers will also hopefully encourage the businesses they shop at to make this change as well.

5) What are your core competencies?

• What sets my concept apart from others is that my product will be durable, single-use, and biodegradable. Many of the current replacements to plastic are paper products and those rip easily or get destroyed when they get wet, rendering them useless. My product will be able to withstand liquids and share the same durability single-use plastics have.

I believe that these elements fit together because they are working on protecting the environment, reducing pollution, and making the customer's life flaw-free. The weakness of the concept would be getting the products to catch on and incorporate it into daily life since paper products are already being used as replacements, and consumers/businesses may not feel the need to look for a better solution. Another weakness would be to ensure the product does meet the high-quality standards while being environmentally friendly/

I didn't receive much feedback, I only had one comment but two main points I received from it were that my concept definitely targets a need that is new and upcoming, and that the fact that I am passionate about this yet have no educational connection (major/minor) really emphasizes how I care about this product. I utilized this when considering the "who I am" section because I realized there are ways I could potentially incorporate my major. I also thought of how the sustainability portion of this product cant just be the driving factor, I need to find ways to really make it the must-have replacement.

18A – Create a Customer Avatar

I have two major Customer Avatars in my segment. My segment consists of people who regularly grocery shop (mainly moms), and young high school and college-aged millennials who frequent coffee shops.

The first photo is the typical grocery shopping mom. Arms packed with plastic bags trying to get all of the groceries inside the house in one trip. I picture these customers to drive the typical mom car -- minivans or SUV's where they can fit all the kids and groceries comfortably. These customers prefer plastic bags over paper because they don’t rip as easily, and it is easier to carry more items in one trip than with paper.

The second photo is a group of the second typical customer avatar, which is the high school and college-aged millennials. Most in this segment tend to get an iced coffee or fruity drinks from shops like Starbucks and socialize while sipping their drinks, while others spend long tedious nights in the library and need a caffeine boost. These customers love to binge watch Netflix, hang out with friends, and tend to care about their footprint on the environment. Since they are so young they don’t have a consistent income and would not otherwise be able to afford a reusable straw replacement.

I think I definitely have a few things in common with my customer avatars. I definitely am big on carrying in all the groceries at once and being efficient. I also love a good cup of iced coffee and I fit in pretty well with the description of the college student. I apply to this segment as I want to be eco-friendly, my town has been impacted with a plastic ban, and I too am young and not able to splurge on reusable replacements.

17A – Elevator Pitch No. 2

https://youtu.be/CD9ZPnBc7LI

From my previous elevator pitch, the key advice was to just be careful with the frame of my footage since my head got cut off. I was told I gave strong points and overall had a strong elevator pitch. This time around, I recorded my pitch on my phone to fix the frame issue, and I tried to change my pitch to be a little more attention-grabbing in comparison to the last one.

16A –What’s Your Secret Sauce?

Five ways in which I think I have unique human capital are:

1. Creativity
• I think that I am creative in the sense that I say what comes to my mind, and that I work with what I can to create things/ideas/solutions. 
2. Dedication
• My dedication is another thing that I think makes me unique. I do everything I can to complete goals I have set or really just do what I put my mind to. I put 100% effort into everything I do and to make sure whatever it is, is done exactly how I imagined.
3. Sociable
• I consider myself to be a friend to practically everyone, and not afraid to speak my mind. I listen to feedback and give feedback whenever I can.
4. Productivity
• No matter what I do, I always make sure the work is meaningful and helps me reach whatever my goal is.
5. Realistic
• I know being overly optimistic can set me up for failure, so I try to be realistic as often as possible. I don’t set goals I know I won't achieve and I make sure I know what my resources and capabilities are when planning anything.

5 People who know me best interviewed:

1. Alexa: https://soundcloud.com/gianna-macon/new-recording-2/s-9bxVd
• In this interview, my roommate Alexa said she thought of me as hardworking, persistent, and I don’t let external views hold me back.
2. Lauren: https://soundcloud.com/gianna-macon/lauren-interview/s-F5Yez
• In this interview, my friend Lauren highlighted that I am passionate about what I do and that I am persistent in pursuing my goals.
3. Olivia: https://soundcloud.com/gianna-macon/olivia-interview/s-GnUPS
• In this interview, my friend Olivia who I've known for years described me as hardworking, great at staying focused on what I want to get done, creative, and organized.
4. Rachel: https://soundcloud.com/gianna-macon/rachel-interview/s-jremF
• In this interview, my other roommate Rachel described me as an approachable leader, and that I devote myself to whatever my tasks may be.
5. Daphne: https://soundcloud.com/gianna-macon/daphne-interview/s-QCAQy
• In this interview, my friend Daphne said that I am unpredictable, but I am reliable, motivated, and will put my all into getting work done.

Reflecting on the differences:

I was surprised that only one of my friends described me as creative, which is how I saw myself. My interviewees all described me as hardworking, dedicated to what I do, and all generally described that I would put all my effort into getting things done. They also described that I don’t let the external environment get to me and I will stay focused regardless of what is thrown at me. I would say from my list, creativity, dedication, and being sociable were aspects that my friends brought up as well. I think productivity kind of fell under the way they described how I would get things are done but they did not directly imply productivity. I was surprised to see that being realistic wasn't something they described. I think going back to my list, I would maybe change productivity to focus since the interviewees all described how I could block out what is going on around me.

15A – Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

I interviewed 3 more people who live in areas affected by plastic bag and straw bans. What I asked and gathered from the interview is the following:

1. "When looking for alternative solutions to single-use plastic, what factor weighs the heaviest when you are deciding? Price, quality, style, where it was produced?"
1. 1st person interviewed:
• "I usually go onto google shopping or Amazon and set the price filter at a $20 maximum if I am looking for straws. If it's for bags I usually just wait until I have a coupon for a free reusable bag or I look for the 50 cent bags at check out lines if I am desperate"
2. 2nd person interviewed:
• "I don’t like having to constantly repurchase reusable straws or bags because I think it is just as wasteful if I have to keep throwing them out, so I look for high-quality products, even if they are a little expensive. I definitely draw the line at overpriced products, like this one reusable straw I saw that was I think $200."
3. 3rd person interviewed:
• "I look first at the price, I know if it is cheaper it may have been produced in a harmful way to the environment or to the laborers. If it is low priced, from a reputable company, and preferably produced in the US where production can be regulated, I would be more likely to purchase that. However, I also would rather stick to the paper straws if the reusable ones are way overpriced."
2. How/where do they buy? "Where would you most likely shop for either a reusable or single-use straw or bag, and how would you pay for it?"
1. 1st person interviewed:
• The first person I interviewed said she most likely would shop online where she could have a variety of options, research capabilities, and price comparisons. She said she would pay with her debit card. When I asked "what about for single-use alternatives?" she said she wouldn't necessarily go out of her way to purchase something for a single-use, but if it was provided in her shopping (coffee shops too) experience she would use it.
2. 2nd person interviewed:
• The second person said she would look both in stores and online for an option that looks and feels high quality. She would prefer to purchase it in-store so she knows exactly what she is getting. When I asked about single-use alternatives that are eco-friendly, she said she is not opposed as long as it is presented to her in the moment she would need it.
3. 3rd person interviewed:
• The third person I interviewed said she would prefer purchasing the product from a farmer's market or local market where she can track where it was produced, and probably would pay in cash. She said she would enjoy the eco-friendly options especially if it started appearing at the farmer's markets she goes to.
3. Post-Purchase Evaluation
• Those interviewed felt that they would decide if the purchase was good based off of if they would use the product again, and if it got the job done (i.e. straw not crumbling when drinking or bag staying sturdy while carrying things). For the single-use products, they all seemed to definitely appeal to them and would use them as long as there was no major noticeable difference that they would need to adapt to.
4. Conclusions
• I would say that this segment relies on the internet/local businesses to find a replacement for single-use plastic. They don’t want overpriced, but they don’t want a cheap product either. They want minimal change in their day to day life, and they want a product that won't face a ban like plastic has. 

14A – Halfway Reflection

1) Tenaciousness is a competency. What are the behaviors that you have used (or developed) to keep up with the requirements of this course? 

• I have been organized in terms of setting and meeting deadlines. I put all assignments into my laptop calendar and have the due date set to 2 days before they are actually due. I also ensure to allot specific times on my weekend to focus solely on giving peer reviews.

2) Tenaciousness is also about attitude. Talk about a moment or two when you felt like "giving up." What pulled you through? Do you feel like you've developed a tenacious attitude during the past two months? What experience or experiences most contributed to this?

• A moment that I felt like giving up on the assignments in this class was a few weeks ago. I had 2 exams, a project, a paper, and the assignments in this course due and I also was sick. All I wanted to do was stay in bed and rest and pretend I had none of those assignments to do, but I knew I would both fall behind and see my grades suffer. I decided to push through and just try and get everything done on time and told myself once it was all done I could rest. I feel like I have become more tenacious over the past two months because as much as I wanted to give up, I couldn't let myself. 

3) Three tips. What are three tips you would offer next semester's student about (1) fostering the skills that support tenacity and (2) developing the 'tenacious mindset' ?

Three tips I would give are:

1. Set goal of when you want to get these assignments done. There is no point in seeing your grade suffer because you lacked motivation.
2. When doing the assignments, make them about something you are passionate about and you want to see come to life. You never know, an idea you are writing about on the blog could become what makes you the next millionaire. 
3. Value all feedback given, what may seem perfect in your mind could be holding you back from further developing yourself as an entrepreneur.

here's an entrepreneurship meme 

13A – Reading Reflection No. 1

1) You read about an entrepreneur: Elon Musk

• What surprised you the most?
• What surprised me the most about Elon Musk was that he has been able to create such successful organizations given the hardships he faced growing up and while trying to create his company. Both Space X and Tesla were originally considered money pits and from a logical standpoint, since Musk didn't have the finances it would have made the most sense for him to save himself from becoming broke, but he wanted to keep going with his concepts. 
• What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?
• What I admired the most was that Elon Musk, when faced with the 2008 recession, chose to keep working on a solution to save both Space X and Tesla instead of choosing one. He easily could've picked one and wouldn't have had to worry about as much in terms of financial hardships, but instead, he fought relentlessly to find a solution so his entrepreneurial goals could live on.
• What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?
• I least admired Elon Musks' attitudes toward the publicity of his companies. He is so focused on keeping the companies in a positive light that he is willing to walk all over people, including his employees, and make sure his image stays positive. He prioritizes his companies over personal lives, and yes from a professional standpoint personal life should not be mixed with work for the most part, but to tell an employee that the company is more important than their child being born is just flat out wrong. Each individual in every company is valuable to the success, and he is not showing the employees that they are valued, rather he is being selfish and saying he matters the most.
• Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?
• Musk definitely encountered adversity when it came down to the 2008 recession and having to pick between saving Space X and Tesla. He worked so hard to build those companies to the point that they were practically his children and he couldn't just give up on them. Instead of just picking, he worked until the last day possible to find financing for Tesla and create a contract with the government for Space X.

2) What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited? 

• Competencies that Elon Musk exhibited were determination, passion, imagination, and risk-taking.

3) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

• One part of the reading that was confusing to me was why Elon Musk chose to leave PayPal. He had later changed his mind and wanted it back yet at the same time he only wanted to focus his time and energy on Space X and Tesla, which in a way makes sense but at the same time one would think he would want to keep a profitable asset as well.

4) If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why?

If I could ask Elon Musk two questions I would ask:

where do you want to see Tesla and Space X in 15 years and how do you want to see them change from where they are already at?

With all the talk about getting humans onto Mars, what initial plans do you have for once they are there since it will be completely bare land?

5) For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?

I think Elon Musk has a different opinion of hard work than most people. For him, I think he considers hard work to be when there is a large, noticeable change and he does not consider day to day work, no matter how much dedication in play, to be hard work. Since he has been known to deliver anything he has said he would, he expects hard work to show positive results and no failures. I personally do not share that opinion as I believe hard work can be valued whether or not success is evident as failures leave opportunities for improvements.

12A – Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

The segment I have chosen is people who live in an area affected by a plastic ban, specifically from my hometown that has officially banned single-use plastic bags and straws, and within that, high schoolers and adults who frequent the downtown coffee shops and grocery stores.

I interviewed 3 people from my town, a high school student, a college student who is currently away at school, and an adult resident. I was hesitant to interview the college student as she is not home often, but I chose to anyway because she would be impacted whenever she returned home, and I found out her college town was also impacted by the ban.

For the high school student's interview, I asked if she was currently aware of the new plastic ban on the town and if she has personally taken any actions to assimilate with the change. She said she was not actually aware of the ban but did notice that our local coffee shops had paper straws all of a sudden and was wondering why they changed. She told me how much she hated the paper straws which she would end up with every morning when she got an iced coffee on the way to school. She has not taken any actions to bring her own straws as she doesn't want to pay $30 for a reusable straw and finds them difficult to clean. She currently does not have a concern about plastic bags as she is not the one who grocery shops in her family. I also asked her what she has been doing to find a solution to the paper straw issue she had discovered on her own and she said her current solution has been to remove the paper straw once it was no longer useful and would have to take the lid off of her drink and finish it drinking from the cup. As for her move to information search, she only googled reusable straws which led to either expensive reusable options or ones made in china, most likely in unfair working conditions. She did not seem to think of searching for single-use straw replacements.

For the college student's interview, I was curious to see how the ban impacted her home life and her college life. She said at home she occasionally would grocery shop and try to be proactive with reusable bags before the ban was ever in place but she has not experienced the ban in its entirety at home. At school, on the other hand, she explained to me how the paper bag solution that her grocery store has in place is frustrating to her because she has to take the bus home from the grocery store and the condensation of the cold items in the bag make the bags soggy and weak. She doesn't always remember reusable bags and since she does not have a car she can't just keep them in her method of transportation. She also said her school's coffee shop has implemented the paper straws and while she does not go often, she thinks the paper straws are wasteful because she usually ends up using 2. I asked her what she has been doing as a solution to combat the ban and paper products and she said: "being completely honest I've done nothing I've just been rolling with it and hoping something will get better."

The third person I interviewed was actually my mom. She hates the clump of plastic bags we have in our house but she equally hates paper bags ripping because the handles aren't strong enough. She doesn't really ever drink anything besides water so she rarely needs a straw, which leaves the main focus on the plastic bags. Since this ban has been instated, she has struggled to remember to bring reusable bags, and although she keeps them in her car, she usually forgets to bring them into grocery stores and doesn't realize she left them until she's practically at the register. She said she hasn't looked into solutions and shes accepted her fate would be either paper bags or hopefully remembering to bring one.

From what I gathered from the interviews, I now know people in this segment are not actively looking for solutions to the ban, rather they are just using whatever is provided by the local businesses. I would say this segment is aware of their need, but they lack on information search. I think instead of targeting individual consumers in the end, I should focus more on targeting the local businesses since the consumers don’t want a change they need to take part in, they want it provided to them.

11A – Idea Napkin No. 1

1) You. 

• I am a 20-year-old junior info systems major at UF. I'd like to consider my skills to be organization, customer service, and problem-solving. I've worked in retail for multiple years where I have seen first hand how customers react to different products and services.
• My aspirations for my business concept is to lead a business that helps both consumer wellness and the environment. I can see myself being reflected in the business, and I can see the business not only help customers minimize their environmental impact, but myself as well.

2) What are you offering to customers?

• I am offering to customers a replacement for single-use plastic that looks and feels similar to plastic, as well as having the durability of single-use plastic products. There will be 2 products offered, a single-use straw and a single-use bag.

3) Who are you offering it to? 

• The customers I am offering this product to are the everyday consumers and small businesses who have not taken action to replace single-use plastics, and may be impacted by new laws banning plastic. These are the iced coffee drinkers who hate paper straws, the athletes who finish their workout with a smoothie and throw away the plastic straw, the moms who have had their paper bags rip on them while trying to get their kids inside the house, and the businesses who have been scrambling to find an affordable replacement for their customers. These customers all have in common their dependency on durable products that tend to be single-use plastics and their new forming need for a replacement that they won't need to remember to bring or have fall apart in seconds.

4) Why do they care? 

• Customers will want to use this service for a multitude of reasons. The small businesses that need a replacement to plastic products and want to keep their customers satisfied, with as little change as possible will cling to this concept as they will receive scrutiny for not having a good solution. Some customers may just be fed up with paper products, or want to do more for the environment and will be attracted to this product. The customers who are aware of the current environmental impact single-use plastic has had will want to take part in a change that will require minimal effort from themselves as not everybody can remember to bring reusable bags or afford reusable straws that were made in a sustainable way.

5) What are your core competencies?

• What sets my concept part from everybody else is that my product will be durable, single-use, and biodegradable. Many of the current replacements to plastic are paper products and those rip easily or get destroyed when they get wet, rendering them useless. My product will be able to withstand liquids and share the same durability single-use plastics have.

I believe that these elements fit together in the sense that they are all taking a step towards protecting the environment, and reducing pollution. The weakness would be getting the products to catch on and incorporate it into daily life since paper products are already being used as replacements, and consumers/businesses may not feel the need to look for a better solution.